THE recent proposal to expand A&E facilities at Darlington and Durham hospitals at a cost of £20 million to the NHS beggars belief and leads me to wonder how many patients attending either hospital could, and should, have been treated at Bishop Auckland?
By all means have "major trauma centres" operating 24/7 but run-of-the-mill accidents and injuries should be readily treated at smaller hospitals easily accessible to the general population.
Indeed, something like a daytime minor injuries clinic at Barnard Castle would benefit residents of Teesdale and Weardale.
It is very easy to spend large sums of money on grandiose schemes, particularly when it's not yours and no one person is held accountable, but in times of severe financial restraint maximum use of existing facilities would be the better option.
P Holmes, Barnard Castle.
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